UF targets Kenny Stills, Tony Jefferson pick Oklahoma

December 20, 2009|By Chris Hays, Orlando Sentinel

Two marquee targets on the Florida Gators' 2010 recruiting board made commitments on Saturday, but they are not headed to Gainesville.

WR Kenny Stills of La Costa Canyon High in Carlsbad, Calif., and S Tony Jefferson of Chula Vista, Calif., Eastlake High, will both be taking their talents to Oklahoma to play for former Gators defensive coordinator Bobby Stoops.

The duo has a friendship that pulled them together and Stills and Jefferson decided to take on college as a package deal. Stills even told Rivals.com that the pair will be roommates.

Stills (6-2, 175) had more than 25 offers and picked the Sooners over Florida and Michigan, while the Gators did not make Jefferson's final three, as he narrowed it down to Oklahoma, Michigan and USC.

Jefferson (6-0, 195) was committed to UCLA earlier in the process, but he said a visit to Norman changed all of that and he and Stills finally decided to pursue a joint commitment.

"I just knew on the visit that this was the best place for me," Jefferson told Greg Biggins of ESPN. "I was committed to UCLA at the time but Oklahoma just felt like home. I love their style of play and how fast and aggressive their defense is every year."

Stills told Biggins: "I probably made my decision about week ago and then just sat on it all week to be sure it was what I wanted to do. I never wavered and my family is completely supportive, as well. Everyone I talked with said Oklahoma was a great fit and I couldn't agree more. To be going with two of my good friends, Brennan Clay and Tony Jefferson, is a huge plus as well but I would have chosen OU no matter what."

Jefferson was not likely still on UF's board after the Gators landed a commitment from Joshua Shaw of Palmdale, Calif., last month. That pledge gave the Gators seven defensive backs in the 2010 recruiting class, assuming they all stick with the commitments. Stills, however, almost certainly would have had his commitment accepted had he decided to come to Gainesville.